The Great Discourse on the Lion's Roar

Translated from the Pali by anamoli Thera

edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi
Commentary
1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was
living at Vesali in the grove outside the city to the west.
2. Now on that occasion Sunakkhatta, son of the Licchavis, had
recently left this Dhamma and Discipline.[1] He was making this
statement before the Vesali assembly: "The recluse Gotama does
not have any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge
and vision worthy of the noble ones.[2] The recluse Gotama
teaches a Dhamma (merely) hammered out by reasoning,
following his own line of inquiry as it occurs to him, and when he
teaches the Dhamma to anyone, it leads him when he practices it
to the complete destruction of suffering."[3]
3. Then, when it was morning, the Venerable Shariputra dressed,
and taking his bowl and outer robe, went into Vesali for alms.
Then he heard Sunakkhatta, son of the Licchavis, making this
statement before the Vesali assembly. When he had wandered
for alms in Vesali and had returned from his alms round, after his
meal he went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage to
him, he sat down at one side and told the Blessed One what
Sunakkhatta was saying.
4. (The Blessed One said:) "Shariputra, the misguided man
Sunakkhatta is angry, and his words are spoken out of anger.
Thinking to discredit the Tathgata, he actually praises him; for it
is a praise of the Tathgata to say of him: 'When he teaches the
Dhamma to anyone, it leads him when he practices it to the
complete destruction of suffering.'
5. "Shariputra, this misguided man Sunakkhatta will never infer of
me according to Dhamma: 'That Blessed One is accomplished,
fully enlightened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, sublime,
knower of worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed,
teacher of gods and humans, enlightened, blessed. [4]
6. "And he will never infer of me according to Dhamma: 'That
Blessed One enjoys the various kinds of supernormal power:
having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he
becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered
through a wall, through an enclosure, through a mountain, as
though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though
it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were
earth; seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his
hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and
mighty; he wields bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-
world.'
7. "And he will never infer of me according to Dhamma: 'With the
divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human,
that Blessed One hears both kinds of sounds, the heavenly and
the human, those that are far as well as near.'
8. "And he will never infer of me according to Dhamma: 'That
Blessed One encompasses with his own mind the minds of other
beings, other persons. He understands a mind affected by lust as
affected by lust and a mind unaffected by lust as unaffected by
lust; he understands a mind affected by hate as affected by hate
and a mind unaffected by hate as unaffected by hate; he
understands a mind affected by delusion as affected by delusion
and a mind unaffected by delusion as unaffected by delusion; he
understands a contracted mind as contracted and a distracted
mind as distracted; he understands an exalted mind as exalted
and an un-exalted mind as un-exalted; he understands a
surpassed mind as surpassed and an unsurpassed mind as
unsurpassed; he understands a concentrated mind as
concentrated and an un-concentrated mind as un-concentrated;
he understands a liberated mind as liberated and an un-liberated
mind as un-liberated.'
(Ten Powers of a Tathgata)
9. "Shariputra, the Tathgata has these ten Tathgatas powers,
possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his
lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of
Brahma.[5] What are the ten?
10. (1) "Here, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
possible as possible and the impossible as impossible.[6] And
that is a Tathgatas power that the Tathgata has, by virtue of
which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the
assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.
11. (2) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
results of actions undertaken, past, future and present, with
possibilities and with causes. That too is a Tathgatas power...[7]
12. (3) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
ways leading to all destinations. That too is a Tathgatas
power...[8]
13. (4) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
world with its many and different elements. That too is a
Tathgatas power...[9]
14. (5) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is how
beings have different inclinations. That too is a Tathgatas
power...[10]
15. (6) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
disposition of the faculties of other beings, other persons. That too
is a Tathgatas power...[11]
16. (7) "Again, the Tathgata understands as it actually is the
defilement, the cleansing and the emergence in regard to the
Jhanas, liberations, concentrations and attainments. That too is a
Tathgata's power...[12]
17. (8) "Again, the Tathgata recollects his manifold past lives,
that is, one birth, two births, three births, four births, five births,
ten births, twenty births, thirty births, forty births, fifty births, a
hundred births, a thousand births, a hundred thousand births,
many eons of world-contraction, many eons of world-expansion,
many eons of world-contraction and expansion: 'There I was so
named, of such a clan, with such an appearance, such was my
nutriment, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my life-
term; and passing away from there, I reappeared elsewhere; and
there too I was so named, of such a clan, with such an
appearance, such was my nutriment, such my experience of
pleasure and pain, such my life-term; and passing away from
there, I reappeared here.' Thus with their aspects and particulars
he recollects his manifold past lives. That too is a Tathgata's
power...
18. (9) "Again, with the divine eye, which is purified and
surpasses the human, the Tathgata sees beings passing away
and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and
unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on according
to their actions thus: 'These worthy beings who were ill-conducted
in body, speech and mind, revilers of noble ones, wrong in their
views, giving effect to wrong view in their actions, on the
dissolution of the body, after death, have reappeared in a state of
deprivation, in a bad destination, in perdition, even in hell; but
these worthy beings who were well-conducted in body, speech
and mind, not revilers of noble ones, right in their views, giving
effect to right view in their actions, on the dissolution of the body,
after death, have reappeared in a good destination, even in the
heavenly world.' Thus with the divine eye, which is purified and
surpasses the human, he sees beings passing away and
reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and
unfortunate, and he understands how beings pass on according
to their actions. That too is a Tathgata's power...
19. (10) "Again, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge,
the Tathgata here and now enters upon and abides in the
deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless
with the destruction of the taints. That too is a Tathgata's power
that a Tathgata has, by virtue of which he claims the herd-
leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets
rolling the Wheel of Brahma.
20. "The Tathgata has these ten Tathgata's powers,
possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his
lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of
Brahma.
21. "Shariputra, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of
me: 'The recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states,
any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones.
The recluse Gotama teaches a Dhamma (merely) hammered out
by reasoning, following his own line of inquiry as it occurs to him' -
- unless he abandons that assertion and that state of mind and
relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had been) carried
off and put there he will wind up in hell.[13] Just as a Bhikkhu
possessed of virtue, concentration and wisdom would here and
now enjoy final knowledge, so it will happen in this case, I say,
that unless he abandons that assertion and that state of mind and
relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had been) carried
off and put there he will wind up in hell.
(Four Kinds of Intrepidity)
22. "Shariputra, the Tathgata has these four kinds of intrepidity,
possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his
lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of
Brahma. What are the four?
23. "Here, I see no ground on which any recluse or Brahmin or
god or Mara or Brahma or anyone at all in the world could, in
accordance with the Dhamma, accuse me thus: 'While you claim
full enlightenment, you are not fully enlightened in regard to
certain things.' And seeing no ground for that, I abide in safety,
fearlessness, and intrepidity.
24. "I see no ground on which any recluse...or anyone at all could
accuse me thus: 'While you claim to have destroyed the taints,
these taints are undestroyed by you. And seeing no ground for
that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.
25. "I see no ground on which any recluse...or anyone at all could
accuse me thus: 'Those things called obstructions by you are not
able to obstruct one who engages in them. And seeing no
ground for that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.
26. "I see no ground on which any recluse...or anyone at all could
accuse me thus: 'When you teach the Dhamma to someone, it
does not lead him when he practices it to the complete
destruction of suffering. And seeing no ground for that, I abide in
safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.
27. "A Tathgata has these four kinds of intrepidity, possessing
which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the
assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.[14]
28. "Shariputra, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of
me...he will wind up in hell.

(The Eight Assemblies)
29. "Shariputra, there are these eight assemblies. What are the
eight? An assembly of nobles, an assembly of Brahmins, an
assembly of householders, an assembly of recluses, an assembly
of gods of the heaven of the Four Great Kings, an assembly of
gods of the heaven of the Thirty-three, an assembly of Mara's
retinue, an assembly of Brahmas. Possessing these four kinds of
intrepidity, the Tathgata approaches and enters these eight
assemblies.
30. "I recall having approached many hundred assemblies of
nobles...many hundred assemblies of Brahmins...many hundred
assemblies of householders...many hundred assemblies of
recluses...many hundred assemblies of gods of the heaven of the
Four Great Kings...many hundred assemblies of gods of the
heaven of the Thirty-three...many hundred assemblies of Mara's
retinue...many hundred assemblies of Brahmas. And formerly I
had sat with them there and talked with them and held
conversations with them, yet I see no ground for thinking that fear
or timidity might come upon me there. And seeing no ground for
that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.
31. "Shariputra, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of
me...he will wind up in hell.
(Four Kinds of Generation)
32. "Shariputra, there are these four kinds of generation. What
are the four? Egg-born generation, womb-born generation,
moisture-born generation and spontaneous generation.
33. "What is egg-born generation? There are these beings born
by breaking out of the shell of an egg; this is called egg-born
generation. What is womb-born generation? There are these
beings born by breaking out from the caul; this is called womb-
born generation. What is moisture-born generation? There are
these beings born in a rotten fish, in a rotten corpse, in rotten
dough, in a cesspit, or in a sewer; this is called moisture-born
generation. What is spontaneous generation? There are gods
and denizens of hell and certain human beings and some beings
in the lower worlds; this is called spontaneous generation. These
are the four kinds of generation.
34. "Shariputra, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of
me...he will wind up in hell.
(The Five Destinations and Nirvana -- In Brief)
35. "Shariputra, there are these five destinations. What are the
five? Hell, the animal realm, the realm of ghosts, human beings
and gods.[15]
36. (1) "I understand hell, and the path and way leading to hell.
And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on
the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of
deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.
(2) "I understand the animal realm, and the path and way leading
to the animal realm. And I also understand how one who has
entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death,
reappear in the animal realm.
(3) "I understand the realm of ghosts, and the path and way
leading to the realm of ghosts. And I also understand how one
who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after
death, reappear in the realm of ghosts.
(4) "I understand human beings, and the path and way leading to
the human world. And I also understand how one who has
entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death,
reappear among human beings.
(5) "I understand the gods, and the path and way leading to the
world of the gods. And I also understand how one who has
entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death,
reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.
(6) "I understand Nirvana and the path and way leading to
Nirvana. And I also understand how one who has entered this
path will, by realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, here and
now enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and
deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of
the taints.
(The Five Destinations and Nirvana -- In Detail)
37. (1) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that on the dissolution of the body, after death,
he will reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy
destination, in perdition, in hell.' And then later on, with the divine
eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I see that on the
dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in a state
of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell, and
is experiencing extremely painful, racking, piercing feelings.
Suppose there were a charcoal pit deeper than a man's height full
of glowing coals without flame or smoke; and then a man
scorched and exhausted by hot weather, weary, parched and
thirsty, came by a path going in one way only and directed to that
same charcoal pit. Then a man with good sight on seeing him
would say: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path, that he will come to this same charcoal pit';
and then later on he sees that he has fallen into that charcoal pit
and is experiencing extremely painful, racking, piercing feelings.
So too, by encompassing mind with mind...piercing feelings.
38. (2) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that on the dissolution of the body, after death,
he will reappear in the animal realm.' And then later on, with the
divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, I see that
on the dissolution of the body, after death, he has reappeared in
the animal realm and is experiencing painful, racking, piercing
feelings. Suppose there were a cesspit deeper than a man's
height full of filth; and then a man scorched and exhausted by hot
weather, weary, parched and thirsty, came by a path going in one
way only and directed to that same cesspit. Then a man with
good sight on seeing him would say: 'This person so
behaves...that he will come to this same cesspit'; and then later
on he sees that he has fallen into that cesspit and is experiencing
painful, racking, piercing feelings. So too, by encompassing mind
with mind...piercing feelings.
39. (3) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that on the dissolution of the body, after death,
he will reappear in the realm of ghosts.' And then later on...I see
that...he has reappeared in the realm of ghosts and is
experiencing much painful feeling. Suppose there were a tree
growing on uneven ground with scanty foliage casting a dappled
shade; and then a man scorched and exhausted by hot weather,
weary, parched and thirsty, came by a path going in one way only
and directed to that same tree. Then a man with good sight on
seeing him would say: 'This person so behaves...that he will come
to this same tree'; and then later on he sees that he is sitting or
lying in the shade of that tree experiencing much painful feeling.
So too, by encompassing mind with mind...much painful feeling.
40. (4) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that on the dissolution of the body, after death,
he will reappear among human beings. And then later on...I see
that...he has reappeared among human beings and is
experiencing much pleasant feeling. Suppose there were a tree
growing on even ground with thick foliage casting a deep shade;
and then a man scorched and exhausted by hot weather, weary,
parched and thirsty, came by a path going in one way only and
directed to that same tree. Then a man with good sight on seeing
him would say: 'This person so behaves...that he will come to this
same tree'; and then later on he sees that he is sitting or lying in
the shade of that tree experiencing much pleasant feeling. So too,
by encompassing mind with mind...much pleasant feeling.
41. (5) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that on the dissolution of the body, after death,
he will reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.'
And then later on...I see that...he has reappeared in a happy
destination, in the heavenly world and is experiencing extremely
pleasant feelings. Suppose there were a mansion, and it had an
upper chamber plastered within and without, shut off, secured by
bars, with shuttered windows, and in it there was a couch spread
with rugs, blankets and sheets, with a deerskin coverlet, with a
canopy as well as crimson pillows for both (head and feet); and
then a man scorched and exhausted by hot weather, weary,
parched and thirsty, came by a path going in one way only and
directed to that same mansion. Then a man with good sight on
seeing him would say: 'This person so behaves...that he will come
to this same mansion'; and later on he sees that he is sitting or
lying in that upper chamber in that mansion experiencing
extremely pleasant feelings. So too, by encompassing mind with
mind...extremely pleasant feelings.
42. (6) "By encompassing mind with mind I understand a certain
person thus: 'This person so behaves, so conducts himself, has
taken such a path that by realizing it for himself with direct
knowledge, he here and now will enter upon and abide in the
deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless
with the destruction of the taints. And then later on I see that by
realizing it for himself with direct knowledge, he here and now
enters upon and abides in the deliverance of mind and
deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of
the taints, and is experiencing extremely pleasant feelings.[16]
Suppose there were a pond with clean, agreeable, cool water,
transparent, with smooth banks, delightful, and nearby a dense
wood; and then a man scorched and exhausted by hot weather,
weary, parched and thirsty, came by a path going in one way only
and directed towards that same pond. Then a man with good
sight on seeing him would say: 'This person so behaves...that he
will come to this same pond'; and then later on he sees that he
has plunged into the pond, bathed, drunk and relieved all his
distress, fatigue and fever and has come out again and is sitting
or lying in the wood experiencing extremely pleasant feelings. So
too, by encompassing mind with mind...extremely pleasant
feelings. These are the five destinations.
43. "Shariputra, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of
me: 'The recluse Gotama does not have any superhuman states,
any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones.
The recluse Gotama teaches a Dhamma (merely) hammered out
by reasoning, following his own line of inquiry as it occurs to him' -
- unless he abandons that assertion and that state of mind and
relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had been) carried
off and put there he will wind up in hell. Just as a Bhikkhu
possessed of virtue, concentration and wisdom would here and
now enjoy final knowledge, so it will happen in this case, I say,
that unless he abandons that assertion and that state of mind and
relinquishes that view, then as (surely as if he had been) carried
off and put there he will wind up in hell.